Flock Launches Audit Assistance to Curb Police Misuse of License Plate Readers—But Transparency Questions Remain

Surveillance technology startup Flock announced a suite of new policies and tools on Thursday, aiming to curb misuse of its automated license plate reader (LPR) systems and enhance accountability among its law enforcement customers. The company now recommends that police departments retain data for seven days instead of the previous 30-day period, a significant reduction. Alongside this, Flock introduced “Evidence Mode,” a feature designed for exceptional cases requiring longer retention, which mandates a specific case number to activate. Customers can also now impose limits on data sharing with other agencies based on the type of offense under investigation. A key component of these changes is “Audit Assistance,” a tool the company highlights as central to its accountability efforts. Launched in April, Flock reported that over one-third of its customers have already enabled it, and the company is now mandating that all customers activate the feature by the end of the year. According to Flock’s blog post, Audit Assistance “detects abnormal activity and flags it for Administrator review,” with the capability to automatically lock out flagged users until an administrator intervenes. The company claims the tool has already helped customers identify and halt abuse. However, despite the prominence given to Audit Assistance, Flock has not provided a detailed explanation of how the tool works under the hood. The company's official statements remain high-level. Ashley Haber, Flock’s head of trust and compliance, mentioned in a video that the tool can flag “what may look like an odd search history from a specific user,” aiding customers in understanding system usage. Co-founder Paige Todd added in a separate video that “Audit Assistance actually flags unusual patterns early—think a user searching the same plate repetitively for more than 30 days.” Major Patrick Krieg of the Dunwoody Police Department, a Flock customer, praised the feature in a press release, describing it as “an algorithm that has notified us of any type of bias.” Flock’s official documentation describes Audit Assistance as a feature that can “surface atypical activity early and review it quickly with a clear, documented workflow.” TechCrunch has sought further clarification on how this algorithm functions, but specific technical details remain elusive. The lack of transparency raises questions about how the system operates and whether it can effectively address issues without clear oversight. As Flock expands its tools and mandates their use, the need for openness about their inner workings becomes increasingly critical for fostering trust in public safety technology.

via TechCrunch